Seeing My Blessings

Good morning to each of you! Remember when I told you about looking for a blessing in your storm? Well, sometimes the storm can be of such a disastrous nature that you cannot remember much of anything that you have learned before the storm hit. BUT, after the initial assault, when you are piteously seeking the Lord's guidance, faithful thinking comes to your aid. I have taken liberty with our excerpt from W.O.W. created w.o.w. in that I have added the portion highlighted in blue, just for today's blogging purpose.


 She was in such pain. Her heart felt as if it would never be whole again. Her trust in her fellowman, which had already been minimal was near extinct. She loathed herself for letting her guard down. She was having a pity party of the grand ole kind.

Then she thought to herself, “If I hold to His hand, since He created me, He will sustain me and gather me back to Himself, all in His good time. W.O.W.!” She sat with her head bowed as she reflected upon the various “care packages” that she had been gifted with throughout her life. She reflected upon the pink and green suit from her high school club days (a story for another day); she reflected upon her scholarship; she reflected upon her best friend from her college freshman  year, Joyce, etc.

As she sat around and reminisced, her sorrow turned to joy, for she realized that she had been shown favor by the Lord. Then she wrote:

When I think about the favor that GOD has placed on my life, I can’t help but marvel at the fact that the GOD, Who orchestrated the cosmos; the GOD that initiated this thing we know of as time and placed a limitation thereon; the GOD that one day will usher in eternity; takes the patience and places HIS omnipotent eyes and ears on a tiny speck of dust called Alma, I am agog! ‘What am I that THOU are mindful of me?’

As she continued her reflecting, she realized that she had come far from the starry-eyed teenager who went to college with one pair of regular shoes and one pair of Sunday shoes and one dress skirt. As she finished checking her email, she finished up her reverie with a perusal of the news feed on Facebook. What she saw there, caused her eyes to fill with tears that slowly cascaded down her cheeks.  Several of her former students had posted on Facebook giving her an outstanding shout out for her work while she was their teacher. She lifted tearful eyes toward the ceiling and said a grateful prayer to Jesus.

           

She realized that the starry-eyed teenager had had a successful teaching career in that she had made a positive enough impact on her students that some of them reached back and thanked her. She thought about the poetry books that she had authored and about this one that she was working on now.

She knew that all of these positives in her life meant that Jesus, in His infinite care and wisdom, strategically wove the pattern of her life so that all things fell just so. Then she said, “Lord, oh Lord! Can You hear me? It’s me, Alma. Please forgive me for not remembering and for doubting the love that You have always had for me, and I just want to say Thank You!”

GOD (my beginning)

Love (crafted in)

A Plan

Care Packages (to sustain)

Love (gathered back with)

 GOD (my ending)!

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Outside My Window

I heard You outside my window this morning

But I didn’t understand what You said

I heard You outside my window this morning

As from my morning meditation book, I read.

You spoke very loudly, and it was easy to hear

For You boomed out some message that

Inspired in me, awe and fear.

I wanted so to understand the message in Your voice

But I could not fathom its meaning at all

But, as for listening, I did not have a choice.

I wished so that I could understand

What was being voiced as the thunder boomed

But, I am so glad that I can hear/feel the

Love that comes with such power

So I send my thanks to You, FATHER

For Your continuous care, in this stormy, predawn hour.

Job 37:2

Job 37:5

1.     Is the poet saying that the Lord talks to us?

2.     Is Job 37:2 a fitting scripture for this poem? Why?

3.     Give another scripture that can serve this poem as well. Explain your choice.

Steppin' and Still Standing,

Alma Jones

Aside - I want you to take with you from today's blogging session these thoughts: 1) No matter what, keep leaning on Him and steppin' for Him because He has the ultimate control of our lives. 2) Reach past any pain, disappointment and thank Him for your blessings. He will see your pain and recognize the faith that seeks to praise Him anyway. Then you know what He will do, being the caring Lord that He is. 

He will lighten your burden and shift your load

So that you can go back to skipping down life's traveler's road.

Aside 2 - If this blog has blessed you in some way, pass it forward.